Wedding Bells
by mcmachine
Summary: Canon divergent/AU. How Jackson and April got married, the second time.


_A/N: I can't link them here but, the original post on Tumblr (it's tagged japril and japril fanfiction) has a couple of gifsets linked that fit within the "canon" of this little AU of mine. You might enjoy checking it out along with reading this. I know it's been awhile since I've posted anything so please leave a review once you've read!_

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Three years and seven months.

It had been three years and seven months since April and Jackson had sat in near silence across from each other with their lawyers and signed their divorce papers. Neither one of them had been happy sitting there. Neither one of them had been happy in the days and months that had followed the divorce.

Harriet's birth, three years ago, had been the thing to finally spark that joy and happiness in their lives again even if it had nearly come with tremendous loss. They had been lucky that Ben had done everything he could to make sure that both April and Harriet would come out of that dangerous c-section. And it had been Harriet's birth those few years ago that had solidified something else for them, put into the universe something stronger than the legalities of the divorce papers. Maybe there had not been 'mint to be' mints at their private wedding the first time, but there was one thing that God and the universe knew: Jackson and April were meant to be.

Now, they finally knew it again too. It hadn't been an easy road to get back together again. When April had lost her faith, it had almost cost her so much more than just her relationship with God. Everyone had seen what was going on with her and he had been one of the few to reach out to try and help her. So they had fallen into doing the one thing that they had always been good at doing in the worst of times: they had sex. He'd given her a taste of what she had been missing out on for the months since she had moved out of their house, made her see stars and not have to feel that pain and sorrow that had been haunting her for the prior weeks. But ultimately, it had been temporary. After Eli's death, therapy had been the thing to give her the healing and the closure that she needed to find her faith and love for God again. It had been hard to hear the diagnosis, to know that losing Samuel and nearly dying when giving birth to Harriet, had given her PTSD. But the label had brought some peace: it was treatable like anything else that came into the emergency room. She can, and would, get better.

Consequences had been for more than just April. After the sex in a dark supply closet, Jackson had realized that he was just deluding himself to think that he could ever love someone else in the way that he loved April. The quasi-relationship that he had with Maggie was filling a void with someone convenient. April had been the one to say that there was something there and he had blindly trusted her, because she knew him, better than he knew himself sometimes. But this time, she had been wrong. Jackson didn't want anyone else. He wanted what he had with her, before everything had fallen apart when they lost Samuel. Even if he had finally healed individually, he still wanted to heal with her at the end of the day. It was what he had always wanted. And knowing that she was in therapy and putting in the work, he had to take his chance before he lost it. He couldn't afford to lose her again. He needed her. He had told his mom that she was the one those years ago when they had first gotten hitched, and he had meant it. It was still true today.

Then, something magical had happened. An unexpected gift, just when they needed it the most.

What April had thought was a stomach flu had turned into a positive pregnancy test and two fast little heartbeats on the ultrasound. There was no doubt in her mind that it was Jackson's. He didn't question that it was his for a moment. It had been the encouragement that he needed to ask her for another try, to do better for themselves and for their children. She hadn't hesitated to say yes.

Weeks later when she had nearly died and only a miracle from God himself had allowed for both her and their twin boys to be fine, April hadn't hesitated to say yes again when Jackson asked her to marry him.

As terrifying as the accident and nearly losing not only the love of his life and another of his children, but two more sons, there had been another moment of growth there for Jackson. Finally, after begging and praying for their lives, he understood her faith. After thirty-eight years as a skeptic, he understood. Some things just couldn't be explained in the way that he wanted them to and miracles were real. Their life together had become proof of that.

Now, almost a year after her accident and with a three year old daughter and two six month old twin boys, all of their hope, faith, and praying was finally paying off. All of their friends and family had gathered for their wedding, an elegant and traditional event. Both their parents were there, Arizona and Callie had flown in with Sofia from New York. With one of the twins baring Everett as a middle name, to Jackson, it even felt like Mark was there in spirit. He knew that his mentor would be proud that he had finally figured it out.

"You look even more beautiful than you did the first time," Arizona praised April.

"Do you think so?" The redhead asked, a smile softening her lips as she adjusted a curl. This time she had worn her hair down, a waterfall braid across the back of her head to add a level of complexity to soft red curls.

"Yep. You do." She confirmed. "Like Princess Ariel, but with a much nicer dress."

April laughed. "Harriet would love that but the poofy sleeves would've been too much. I just wanted my mom's veil, not her dress too."

"This is perfect." Arizona smiled.

A knock on the door came a moment later and Arizona moved to grab it. "It's time!" Libby announced enthusiastically with a clap of her hand. "Oh, Duckie, you look so beautiful," she smiled fondly at her younger sister. "You really are a swan."

"Thanks, Libby." A wide smile appeared in April's lips and she had to remind herself to cry.

"Dad's waiting for you." Libby informed her.

"Off you go, then," Arizona stepped behind April to help with the train of her dress as she walked out of the room.

Her dress was a strapless sweetheart, mermaid style with a moderately long train behind her. It was nothing like any wedding dress that she had worn before. That was exactly what she had wanted when she had gone shopping for it. They had agreed to recycle rings and not to over the top with spending money, but she had wanted something new for this moment.

"Hey, baby girl," Joe Kepner wore a proud smile as he looked at his daughter. "You look lovely."

"Thanks, Daddy." April goes in for a hug immediately, blinking a few times to hold her tears back.

Inside of the chapel, everyone had taken their seats already. Jackson was standing up next to the pastor with Ben on his other side. It was one of the few times in his life where he was nervous enough to feel butterflies in his stomach. His mother was beaming in the front row, Richard by her side and the twins with them. As the music began to play from the pianist, he straightened up completely and turned his gaze toward the door to the chapel as he waited for the love of his life to walk down that aisle for the final time.

When the doors open the first time, Harriet walks through in an adorable puffy dress and carrying a basket of rose petals. She wins over everyone's heart and full attention as she walked down the aisle slowly, tossing out little handfuls of the petals in every direction just like she had practiced at home. When she reached the end of the aisle, she went to sit in Grandma Karen's lap for the rest of the ceremony.

Arizona followed down the aisle a few moments later as April's Maid of Honor. They had kept the wedding party simple and small by just having one person stand up there with them. By the time that she had reached her place, Jackson could feel his stomach doing flips.

The traditional wedding march began to play. A few seconds later, the doors to the chapel opened up to realize his bride on her father's arm. April looked utterly ethereal walking down the aisle, glowing with the wide smile on her lips. A smile of his own grew on his lips as he looked at the love of his life, sniffling slightly as he tried to keep himself from letting a tear or two our. She looked beautiful. He couldn't believe that he had actually gotten lucky enough to be able to fix everything between them and gotten the chance to go about this the right way with her.

"You look amazing," Jackson praised as she reached him.

"So do you," she replied as she beamed up at him.

As the ceremony began with the pastor speaking, they couldn't keep their eyes off each other. Although the first time that they had gotten married, they had wanted something a little more modern and tried to balance how much God was in the ceremony, this time was different. Both of them wanted to do everything right and traditional. They wanted the fresh start that they hadn't had the first time.

"Now, I believe you each wrote your own vows, correct?" Pastor Michael spoke.

"Yes," Jackson nodded his head and cleared his throat. "April, you have given me everything in my life. You've given me such beautiful children. I've never been happier than in the moments that I've been with you. You're my best friend, my favorite person... and you always have been, no matter what we've been through. And we've been through a lot over the years, you and I. But I'd do it all over again, every single bit of it, if it meant that we would still get to stand here today. I love you. I love everything about you. Even the things I hate, I love. And I know you've heard me say those words before today but I mean them even more now. You are the love of my life. No one could ever even come close to you."

Tears of pure joy swelled in the rims of her eyelids as April looked up at Jackson, sniffling once. "Jackson... you are my dream man. No, you are better than my dream man. You are everything that I could have ever asked for and more. You have given me joy and happiness like nothing else. Our children make me over the moon and you are such a wonderful father to all of them. No matter what has happened between us, you have always been a wonderful father. And I know you always will be because you are a good man, Jackson Avery, and I don't know how I'm lucky enough to get to be your wife. I look forward to a lifetime of raising our children, swapping O.R. stories, and our waffle Sundays after church. I look forward to waking up every morning next to you and knowing that you love me like I love you. Thank you for choosing me again and again, like I have chosen you again and again."

More words come from the pastor to finish up the ceremony after the vows and rings have been exchanged between them. It was a quick ceremony after the customized vows. Both of the '_I dos_' are exchanged. Each one of them couldn't stop smiling.

"You may now kiss the bride." Pastor Michael announced.

Jackson didn't hesitate to bend down and cup April's face between his hands, sealing his lips on top of hers in a firm, passionate kiss. The crowd of their friends and families cheered and applauded for both of them. He deepened the kiss for a short moment before he barely pulled away, hands remaining on her face. His thumb swiped away the tear that had finally slipped from his bride's gaze.

"I love you so much, Jackson," April whispered up to him.

"Not as much as I love you, Mrs. Dr. Kepner-Avery," he replied, nose nuzzling against hers.

Hand in hand with each other, both of them let out a marvellous laugh as they gave a little jump over the broom that had been set down for them. Another round of applause and cheering came from their friends and family.

Now that the ceremony was officially over, Harriet squirmed out of her grandmother's lap and launched herself over to her parents, trying to hug her mother's legs through the layers of her wedding dress.

"Hi, ladybug!" April squatted down and scooped her daughter up into her arms.

"You and Daddy are mawwied now? Like Auntie Ariwona and Callie?" Harriet asked.

"Yes, sweetheart, we are." She answered.

"Is that okay with you?" Jackson asked her teasingly, reaching over and ruffling her hair.

"Ya," Harriet giggled, burying her face in her mother's neck affectionately and holding onto her mother's hair. April pressed a kiss on top of her clingy's daughter head, snuggling against her.

Jackson placed his hand on the back of his wife's shoulder to begin to guide them out of the chapel. "We do have a reception to get you," he reminded her gently. "Harriet, are you excited to spend the night with Grandma? I know she's excited to have you and your brothers."

"Uh-huh," she answered. "Hungwy."

"Alright, baby girl." Jackson chuckled. "Let's go to the reception and get some dinner then."

With Catherine and Richard being them holding their twin sons, and Harriet carried on her mother's hip, the newly reunited Kepner-Avery family stepped out of the church to start the rest of their married life together.


End file.
